TIME:
1½ hours
PREP:
10 minutes
YIELD:
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 bunch parsley, thick stems discarded, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup olive oil
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Using a paring knife, carefully remove the core of the cauliflower while taking care to keep the head intact. Place the cauliflower head in a cast iron skillet and rub the olive oil all over (including the bottom of the head) with your hands. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place the lemon slices in the pan all around the cauliflower and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Remove the lemons from the pan and set aside. Return the skillet, uncovered, to oven and roast until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 1 hour.
- To make the Italian salsa verde, chop the roasted lemons and add to a mixing bowl. Add the parsley, lemon juice, capers, garlic, red chili flakes and ground cumin and stir to combine. Stir in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To serve, cut the cauliflower into wedges, drizzle generously with salsa verde and serve the remaining sauce on the side.
Notes: The cauliflower is good warm out of the oven or at room temperature, so you can make this a couple of hours ahead of dinner time—just keep covered. Italian salsa verde is best when it’s given some time to develop flavors, but not made too far in advance as it will lose its bright green color. Make this sauce the same day you’ll be serving it, ideally with a couple of hours to sit and marinate.
